Chapter 16

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 16

Chapter Title: Persuasion (1)

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As usual, after finishing training.

I'd received a request for a private talk from Jeong Su-in, and from her, I heard news like a bolt from the blue.

"You're suddenly leaving the team!? What do you mean?"

"Well..."

Jeong Su-in, who had always been the most spirited of everyone, explained everything that had happened in a dejected manner, completely unlike her usual self.

She felt her talents were endlessly lacking compared to the other team members, and no matter how much she practiced, her skills didn't seem to improve.

"I just feel like I'll only be a burden to everyone.... I think it's best if I leave as soon as possible."

"Su-in..."

"I'm sorry, Producer. You've been looking out for me so much..."

Jeong Su-in was going through the slump that commonly afflicted low-rank hunters.

She only felt her skills were inadequate, harboring doubts about her unchanging present and uncertain future.

'I can't just let her go like this.'

To change her mind, I told her about her potential, just like I had with Bang Han-na before.

"Su-in, growth rates vary wildly from person to person, so it's natural to feel inadequate right now. But that's absolutely not the case. You're not lacking. You have talent! I guarantee it. I was the one who chose you out of countless candidates."

But Jeong Su-in looked at me with eyes that seemed resigned somewhere.

And in a calm tone, she posed one question.

"Do you think I can become A-rank?"

A-rank.

That single word left me speechless.

The potential I'd read from Jeong Su-in with my ability was a maximum of B-rank.

If she trained to her limit and accumulated experience, she could perform at a level comparable to A-rank.

But...

A-rank and B-rank belonged to entirely different realms.

No matter how hard Jeong Su-in tried, she could never reach A-rank.

"......"

I couldn't bring myself to lie, so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠held back my response and simply gazed at her quietly.

Jeong Su-in, as if she'd already expected it, weakly lifted the corner of her mouth and spoke ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plainly.

"My parents run a small restaurant back in our hometown. They're short on hands, and with their age, they've been saying it's tough lately. So I'm thinking of heading back home this time."

I realized she had already steeled her resolve completely.

"...I see..."

And so, I decided to give up on persuading her any further.

No point dragging it out—it would only hurt both of us.

"...So you're taking over the restaurant?"

"I'll have to think about that slowly."

"...Yeah. Take your time deciding. If you need anything, call me right away."

With a deep sigh of regret, I extended my hand for a handshake and bid her farewell.

"You've worked hard all this time."

There would be no more hunter activities from Jeong Su-in from now on.

She gripped my hand firmly, just as spiritedly as when we'd first met.

"Thank you, Producer."

And accepted my final goodbye.

"What!? Su-in!?"

"What!?"

The next day, Han Gyu-ri and Kim Jun-hyeong reacted with utter disbelief upon hearing about Jeong Su-in.

"Why!? What on earth happened!?"

"Explain properly! Why is Su-in quitting the team?"

I told the two of them the same story I'd shared with Jeong Su-in.

That she'd felt immense self-loathing about her talents and deep disillusionment with team life as a hunter.

"She'd already sorted out her feelings to the point where no persuasion worked. I couldn't hold her back anymore."

"Oh my god..."

"This is bad..."

While pitying Jeong Su-in's situation, the two began worrying about the team's very survival.

"What do we do? If we don't have enough members, we can't even register the team...!"

"We can't just shove anyone in..."

Hunter teams needed at least three registered members to be officially recognized.

Teams without activity records were classified as 'temporary teams,'

and temporary teams could only be maintained for a single week if short on members.

If we failed to register a new member within that week and couldn't even keep the temporary status...

Team Seoul City Hall's operations would be deemed unsustainable, Bang Han-na and Kim Na-rae would lose their team, and Han Gyu-ri and Kim Jun-hyeong would bear the full responsibility.

'Time is of the essence.'

After explaining the situation, I asked them to handle training for the remaining members while I scouted for a new one.

"...Me?"

"You'll scout someone?"

"It's faster if I run around myself than leaving it to you two."

Fortunately, I had the ability to read others' powers.

We had a sufficient budget secured, and I had full authority over the team, so I could recruit without restrictions.

'This could actually be an opportunity.'

"Anyway, I'll head out right now, so just hold down the fort for exactly one week. Explain it well to the others. Gyu-ri, I'm counting on you."

"Ugh..."

As I hurriedly packed my things and prepared to leave the office,

"Do Ji-hyeok."

Kim Jun-hyeong grabbed me and asked in a gravely serious tone.

"...Can you do it?"

He was asking as Team Seoul City Hall's manager.

"We only have a week. If you miss the deadline..., I really don't know what'll happen."

I glanced past his shoulder at Han Gyu-ri's anxious expression, then met Kim Jun-hyeong's eyes and answered softly.

"I have to."

It might sound utterly irresponsible at first glance, but...

"...Yeah. I'm counting on you."

Kim Jun-hyeong seemed to recognize my determination, patting my shoulder encouragingly.

It had already been five days since I started searching for new team members.

'I'm screwed.'

I still hadn't found anyone.

At first, I'd thought it would be easy...

Complete miscalculation.

It wasn't that candidates were scarce.

During 'Rank Measurement Week' on the first week of every month, newly awakened rookies and hunters updating their ranks poured out in droves.

In an era where 3 out of 10 people had abilities, it was absurd to say there weren't enough people.

Rank Measurement Week had already passed, so I couldn't snag any fresh new ability users, but there were plenty of places to find candidates.

Hunter academies, hunter-only training centers, general training halls, and more...

Not just the spots scouts frequented—I could find candidates even on the street using my ability.

The problem was...

'No one I like.'

Finding someone who met my standards wasn't easy.

What our team needed now was a main dealer position.

Since it was a women's team, naturally female, and with an ability specialized for offensive roles.

That alone filtered out most candidates, and seeking someone with at least B-rank potential made the odds nearly nonexistent.

Honestly, the thought of compromising a bit just to fill the numbers crossed my mind briefly...

But I absolutely couldn't yield on the main dealer spot, unlike supporter.

"Haa..."

After roaming everywhere and spamming my ability indiscriminately, my head throbbed with fatigue, so I was taking a break at a nearby café.

'Where to next...'

Right then.

Vrrr— vrrr—

My phone on the table began to vibrate.

[Hunter High Class of 36, Kim Jun-hyeong]

It was Kim Jun-hyeong.

"......"

Confirming it was still training time from the clock in the corner of the screen, I instinctively knew he was calling to check up and answered silently.

"...Hello...?"

But.

[Haven't found a team member ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yet?]

"...Not easy."

[Then head to Chuncheon for a bit.]

"...Huh?"

Kim Jun-hyeong dropped some unexpected news.

[Got an official notice that Chuncheon's rank measurement is scheduled. Starts at 4 p.m., so check it out.]

The rank measurement schedule had suddenly been moved up.

'They pulled it forward!'

When crowds flocked during Rank Measurement Week, they sometimes advanced schedules for reservations to manage congestion—and today was one such day.

"Thanks! Heading there now!"

I drove straight to Chuncheon's rank measurement center.

Rustle rustle— rustle rustle—

The rumors had already spread; from the parking lot, I saw several people who looked like they were from guilds.

'Lots of competition.'

The biggest reason crowds gathered during Rank Measurement Week was the real-time scouting.

The electronic billboard outside the center displayed the count of newly measured ranks each time, and since they tested one at a time, everyone inevitably knew who got what rank.

As a producer, I rarely came to places like this, but...

The measurement center was a battlefield of mind games between scouts hunting new talent and guild members guarding their own hunters.

'About to start.'

I blended in with the crowd and took a spot near the exit.

I was leaving feedback on the training video Han Gyu-ri had sent of Bang Han-na and Kim Na-rae when...

"Ji-hyeok!"

Someone called out familiarly out of nowhere.

"Long time no see!"

It was Kim Beom-jae, the Cheonhwa Guild scout.

'This guy's here too.'

Kim Beom-jae had always had a habit of looking down on people, so I didn't like him much.

"Doing well? You look even better after switching affiliations!"

He reeked of knowing my situation and extended a handshake readily. I shook it calmly and returned the greeting.

"Long time no see. Still rocking the expensive suits, I see."

Kim Beom-jae smirked, patting his high-end jacket proudly.

"First impressions matter in everything. Gotta dress to match the pay, right?"

As a successful scout, Kim Beom-jae made pretty good money.

Though nowhere near my salary, of course.

"Dunno... Wearing nice clothes doesn't mean you're raking it in."

"Haha! True!"

Kim Beom-jae let out a dry chuckle, eyeing me up and down before probing slyly.

"So... what brings the producer here?"

"Trying my hand at scouting. Tougher than it looks."

"...Scouting?"

As he questioned with a puzzled look at me personally scouting,

Rustle rustle—

The measurement center exit opened right on cue, and people who'd finished testing began coming out.

Kim Beom-jae and I exchanged empty pleasantries and took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our separate spots.

"Looks like it's starting. Nice seeing you anyway."

"You too. Hope we meet again soon."

And so the game of cat-and-mouse began.

I checked the status on the billboard...

No S through B-ranks yet, but every time a relatively high C-rank emerged, scouts swarmed.

"CG Guild here! Join us...!"

"If you come to Kangjin Guild...!"

"Platinum Guild! Solid...!"

Some already had guilds...

"What no-name guild is snatching people?!"

"What? No-name!? Which guild are you from, punk?!"

Fights even broke out between original guild escorts and rival scouts.

'Total chaos.'

After sending off hordes of E and F-ranks and fierce bidding on sporadic C-ranks,

The B-rank count finally ticked up.

Rustle rustle— rustle rustle—

The B-rank who caused the stir was a young woman—and sure enough, nearly every guild rushed her.

"Hello! Our guild...!"

"Greetings! Sejin Guild!"

"I'm Han Ji-min, chief scout for Bitnara Guild! Please consider us...!"

She instantly became a star, accepting just one business card before slipping through the crowd.

"Tch, Cheonhwa Guild again?"

"They even have Queens, but their greed knows no bounds."

It was a Cheonhwa Guild card, of course.

"......"

Kim Beom-jae, who snagged the highest rank so far, glanced my way with a satisfied smile and sauntered out.

Truth be told, I wasn't interested in her.

The woman Kim Beom-jae took had already hit her growth limit.

'All the juice is squeezed out.'

Early B-rank at best—not a great pickup.

"No real talent today."

"Yeah. If we go home empty-handed again, we're really in for it..."

After the commotion died down and the heated mood cooled,

as most scouts stared blankly at the board in regret,

Creak—

The door opened, and a woman walked out.

"Another F-rank."

"Sigh..."

The scouts grumbled, showing no interest in her, but...

"!"

I checked her potential and shot to my feet in shock.

An S-rank.

The wielder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had appeared.